Sharjah Police Force

The Sharjah Police Force was established in 1967 by the then-ruler of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. Initially established as a citywide force, with the foundation of the United Arab Emirates in December 1971, the force took up a Federal role and reported to the UAE Ministry of the Interior.

Sharjah Police units monitoring the condition of roads during rainfall season in Sharjah.

Departments

Sharjah Police manages public security across the city and emirate of Sharjah, including the East Coast cities of Dibba Al Hisn, Khor Fakkan and Kalba. It consists of three organisational units, the General Directorate of Resources and Support Services; the General Directorate of Central Operations and the General Directorate of Police Operations. These report to the Commander in Chief and Deputy Commander in Chief. Sharjah's Amiri Guard reports directly to the Commander in Chief, while the Media and PR Department, Correctional & Punishment organisation department and the Police Research Centre report to the Deputy Commander in Chief.[1]

General Directorate of Resources and Support Services

The core administrative resource for Sharjah Police, this division includes human resources, financial affairs, electronic services and communications, support services and the Police Training Institute.

General Directorate of Central Operations

Central Operations manages the traffic and patrols department, vehicle and driver licensing department, operations and the special tasks department, based in Al Mirgab.

General Directorate of Police Operations

The General Directorate manages the Eastern and Central Region police departments as well as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Drugs Enforcement Department, the Community Police Department, Airports and Border Patrol Police and the Police Stations Department.

Operations
Off road division of Sharjah Police patrolling outer desert areas of Sharjah.

Sharjah Police operates a network of stations in the city of Sharjah and the central and eastern regions of the emirate, including Al Heera; Al Gharb; Wasit; Industrial Area; Hamriya; Saja; Dhaid; Madam; Mileiha and Thameed, as well as stations on the East Coast at Wadi Al Helou; Nahwa; Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Kalba.

Narcotics

Although the crime rate in Sharjah and the UAE in general is extremely low,[2] Sharjah Police have conducted a wide range of operations against narcotics smugglers, including the seizure of 19 kg of heroin leading to the arrest of six smugglers in July 2018.[3] A further haul the same month yielded 20 kilograms of hashish, 1,300 Tramadol pills and 50 grams of crystal meth and led to the arrest of three smugglers.[4]

Financial Crimes Unit

Established at Buhaira Police Station in 2015, the Financial Crimes Unit manages arbitration in financial disputes and cases, returning as much as Dhs 37 million per quarter to complainants. In Sharjah, issuing a cheque without sufficient funds to cover can lead to a criminal case being filed. The Unit aims to avoid cases being filed related to financial disputes wherever possible.[5]

Online Crime

Part of the remit of the CID is online crime in Sharjah. In 2015/16 alone, 214 cases were registered and 239 suspects were taken into custody for online crimes, ranging from bank account fraud to blackmail. Cybercrime or fraud is punishable in the UAE under federal law No 5 of 2012 with 'a prison term of not less than one year and/or a fine of not less than Dhs250,000 and not more than Dhs1 million'.[6] In 2016, Sharjah Police held a forum on cybercrime[7] and in 2018 the force embarked on a major awareness campaign to warn young people of the dangers of online extortion through social media.[8]

A scheme to link bank ATMs directly to Sharjah Police was announced in 2018 in a bid to reduce a number of ATM robberies taking place, particularly in the city's industrial areas, where a large number of workers congregate.[9]

In February 2018, Sharjah Police arrested a Pakistani national accused of carrying out a Dhs2.5 million bitcoin fraud.[10]

Services

A number of online services are managed by Sharjah Police, including traffic licensing and fines payment as well as a range of security and community services. The force also operates an online complaints service, 'Open Doors'.[11] The police call centre manages high volumes of calls, up to 45,000 during Ramadan, mostly complaints against beggars or relating to traffic violations.[12] A number of services are available using the Sharjah Police Smart App.[13]

Rafid

The 50 vehicles of the Rafid traffic accident patrol (there are 120 Rafid officers) was launched in May 2018 and replaced the previous Saeed service, attending minor traffic incidents and producing police reports. Supported by a mobile Rafid application, the Rafid patrol charges a fee of Dhs400 for attending an accident and writing a police report. Without this report, vehicle repairs cannot be carried out in Sharjah. If app users complete the report without requiring a Rafid officer to attend, the fee is reduced to Dhs350. A 14-man contact centre supports the Rafid service, which aims to respond to Sharjah's some 300 daily minor accidents within 15 minutes. Rafid officers are not policemen.[14]

Police Sciences Academy

The Sharjah Police Sciences Academy is located at Sharjah University City. Governed by the Police Sciences Academy Council,[15] in 2018 it launched a research award aiming to encourage innovation and research in curbing crime and increasing public security.[16]

Police Magazine

Established in 1988, the Sharjah Police magazine, Al Shurti, is a monthly bulletin. A quarterly title, Al Fikr Al Shurti, is also published. A radio show dedicated to issues of public security, Aman Ya Beladi, runs on Sharjah Radio and a TV programme also runs on Sharjah Television.

Uniform and livery

The Sharjah Police uniform is either green with a red cap and epaulettes or blue/grey with a blue cap. Police cars are blue and white, including those of the 'Anjad' patrol.

References
  1. "Sharjah Police General Directorate". www.shjpolice.gov.ae. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  2. Kuttab, Jasmine Al. "UAE safest country in world, 98.6% residents feel secure". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  3. Reporter, Ali Al Shouk, Staff (2018-07-31). "Sharjah Police nab six dealers with 19kg of heroin". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  4. Reporter, Aghaddir Ali, Staff (2018-07-25). "Sharjah Police, customs net major drug haul". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  5. Reporter, Aghaddir Ali, Staff (2015-10-13). "Sharjah Police help return Dh37m to complainants". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  6. Reporter, Aghaddir Ali, Staff (2016-09-17). "94 cybercrime cases in Sharjah this year". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  7. "Sharjah Police organises a forum on cyber crimes". Sharja24. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  8. "Sharjah Police launches awareness campaign on electronic extortion risks". Sharja24. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  9. Abdullah, Afkar. "New system to connect ATMs to Sharjah Police". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  10. "Man arrested in Sharjah for Dh2.5m Bitcoin scam". The National. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  11. Abdullah, Eman (2002-02-09). "Complaints to Sharjah police through web site". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  12. "Sharjah Police received over 45,000 calls since start of Ramadan - Dubai Eye". Dubai Eye. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  13. "Sharjah Police Smart App - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  14. Reporter, by Aghaddir AliStaff (2018-05-14). "Rafid to replace Saaed in Sharjah". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  15. WAM (2018-06-27). "Sharjah Police Sciences Academy council formed". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  16. Abdullah, Afkar. "Sharjah Police academy launches global research awards". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
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